Ben Eppelstun

Carving his 1500m time down from 5:13 to 4:12 in his first year of athletics, the rapid rise of Ben Eppelstun has landed him on the world stage.

The teenager well and truly caught the running bug after doing his first Parkrun after being “a bit unfit and overweight from partying” in his final year of high school, stopping the clock in 26:30 at his first attempt – far from the elite ranks.

Eppelstun stuck to the grind when linking up with Canberra coach Philo Saunders and realising he was eligible for Para-athletics through his physio, competing with cerebral palsy in the 400m and 1500m T38 events.

“I’ve only been in athletics for about a year but seeing that improvement in such a short time really shows me what’s possible.”

“Mainly it’s about seeing my times improve. Every session is about working to drop that time. I just love focusing on getting better and maybe one day it’ll all lead to a medal.”

A former state-level Australian Rules Football player where he ran all day on the wing, Eppelstun works as a bartender and wishes he started athletics earlier but knows time is on his side as one of Australia’s rising athletics names.

“My big goals would be to break four minutes and then eventually win a medal.”

Fans can expect Eppelstun to display cunning tactics on the track if they reflect his off-track interests, citing poker as one of his hobbies and studying a Bachelor of Economics and Finance at the Australian National University.

“I love poker – the strategy, tilting opponents, playing sneaky. Trying to read people’s faces is my favourite part.”